Planning for Procedure or Surgery

Your Procedure or Surgery Journey Continued

To view a Printable PDF Version of the Operative Journey, click here. To view AHCA Quality Measures by hospital, click here.

Planning for time off from work

During your consultation, you should discuss the procedure or surgery recovery time with your proceduralist or surgeon. If your procedure or surgery requires you to miss more work than your allotted time off, you should consider contacting your Human Resources department to understand what, if any, arrangements need to be made and to gather information on the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) application process, if applicable.

Registration

Registering prior to the day of the procedure or surgery takes only a few minutes and saves time when you arrive for your procedure or surgery. Prior to your procedure or surgery, you will be contacted by a Patient Access Representative to complete the registration process. It is important to review the applicable Patient Rights and Responsibilities for your surgery or procedure setting:

At the time of registration, insured patients will be responsible for paying any deductible, co-insurance, co-payment or any other non-covered charges owed for their procedure or surgery, as outlined under their insurance benefits. Uninsured patients will be responsible for the full cost of their procedure or surgery upon registration.

Insured patients

If you are covered by health insurance, please remember that it is a contract between you and your insurance carrier. We will submit all insurance claims for you, including secondary insurance. To ensure proper processing of your claims, it is important that you supply accurate and up-to-date information during your preregistration or registration. We can provide you with a good faith estimate of out-of-pocket expenses for our facilities and employed providers. This good faith estimate is not a guarantee and is subject to change should you need more, fewer or different services than what was quoted during your estimate.

Preauthorization or referral forms

Some insurance carriers require pre-authorization or referral forms prior to the day of the procedure or surgery. It is your responsibility to know your insurance company’s requirements. Please check with your insurance carrier if you are not sure about the need for preauthorization.

Facility fees and physician fees

A member of our Registration department will contact you prior to the procedure or surgery to discuss the facility fees. If the providers performing your care are not Baptist Health employees (such as your proceduralist or surgeon, anesthesiologist and pathologist), you will receive a separate bill for their professional fees and such fees will not be included in the good faith estimate of out-of-pocket expenses. For more information about independent practitioners, please visit Affiliated Practices & Practitioners. Questions regarding a bill from a physician should be directed to that physician’s billing department.

Uninsured patients

If you do not have insurance, we will refer your case to the Centralized Pricing Office to assist in creating a self-pay package for your services.

If you have questions about your out-of-pocket expenses for an upcoming procedure or surgery, please contact the Centralized Pricing Office at 786-662-7181 or your insurance company by dialing the member services number on the back of your insurance card.

Once your procedure or surgery is scheduled

A staff member from the Preadmission Testing Office may contact you close to your procedure or surgery date for a phone interview.

At the time of the phone interview, a member of our nursing team will:

Review your health history and medications, including special instructions for diabetic or blood-thinning medications such as Motrin, aspirin and Advil.
Ask about any allergies, implants or devices you may have.
Discuss discontinuing the use of herbal teas or remedies such as ginseng, St. John’s Wort, vitamin E (including multivitamins), fish oil and garlic supplements 10 days before procedure or surgery, as these can increase the risk of bleeding during the procedure or surgery.
Review required preoperative evaluation and testing requirements.
Provide preoperative instructions.
Answer questions you may have regarding the procedure or surgery process.

If you have questions regarding your procedure or surgery risks and benefits, please contact your provider prior to your procedure or surgery date.

Anesthesia

Anesthesia will be managed by your anesthesia provider and the anesthesia care team. Your anesthesia provider will meet with you the day of your procedure or surgery to review your medical and surgical history and explain your anesthesia options. Please refer to the anesthesia patient education pages below for detailed information.

Informed consent

Informed consent is a process of communication between you and your health care provider regarding the potential risks and benefits of a procedure or surgery. This discussion leads to agreement or permission for care, treatment, or services. Every patient has the right to get information and ask questions. The following information will be verified at the time of signing the informed consent:

Your name and other information that can help the staff make sure you are receiving the right care
The type of procedure or surgery you are having and the exact location on your body
Any implants or devices you may have as a result of the procedure or surgery
Confirmation that you spoke to your doctor about any risks involved, different care plans available to you and your post-procedure or postsurgery care plan
Your agreement to have the procedure or surgery

Tip: Make sure the information is correct. If you have questions or if you do not understand something on the form, speak up. If you have questions regarding your procedure or surgery risks and benefits, please contact your provider prior to your procedure or surgery date.

Preparation and staying hydrated

Staying well hydrated days before your procedure or surgery can be beneficial. Avoid alcoholic beverages several days before your procedure or surgery.

Don’t let your skin be the reason your surgery or procedure is cancelled:
When it gets closer to the day of your surgery or procedure, make an effort to avoid cuts, scratches, and bites as these can lead to a cancellation. One of the many functions of the skin is to act as a barrier to infection. It keeps out the sort of bacteria which can enter the bloodstream and cause problems. Infected eczema, psoriasis, leg ulcers, or other open wounds can also lead to a cancellation the day of surgery or procedure. If you damage your skin or you have a flare-up of a skin condition before your pre-operative assessment, it is vital that you call your surgeon’s office and speak to a nurse as you may need to be evaluated.

Please review the showering instructions and ensure you have the needed supplies ahead of time. If you were not provided antimicrobial soap by the facility, please purchase an over-the-counter bottle of liquid antiseptic soap as instructed by your provider’s office at your local pharmacy.

Preprocedural or presurgical evaluation and testing

If your proceduralist or surgeon has requested medical evaluations or assessments from a specialist, we encourage you to make any appointment for these items as soon as possible.

Below is a chart that specifies how long each type of preprocedural or presurgical evaluation and testing is valid; this will help you plan ahead.

Item (if needed)*	Term**
Medical Evaluation	Schedule as soon as possible/valid for 30 days
Lab Results	Valid for 6 months
Type and Screen	Varies by patient based on medical history
EKG	Valid for 6 months
Chest X-ray	Valid for 6 months
Specialty Consultation	Schedule as soon as possible/valid for 30 days
History and Physical	Valid for 30 days
COVID-19 Test	At the discretion of the treating practitioner or facility (e.g., oncology patients).

*Premenopausal patients will receive a pregnancy test the day of procedure or surgery.

**The validity time frame stated in the chart above is applicable as long as you have had no change in your medical condition since the diagnostic test.

The Preprocedure/Presurgery Office must receive all evaluation and testing results at least two days prior to your procedure or surgery date to avoid any cancellation or delays. Your assistance in getting these documents to us is appreciated.

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